Tech sector earnings will take center stage in the coming weeks after Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) released quarterly results last week. Heavyweights including Google-parent Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) are scheduled to post their respective reports in the coming days.
Beyond those big names, there is another group of tech companies reporting earnings in the days ahead that should be on the radar of every investor: a segment of the industry known collectively as Software & Services.
The sector was a standout performer in the first half of the year, gaining as much as 33% through July. However, an industry-wide sell-off at the beginning of September continues to impact current levels, leaving the sector's main ETF, SPDR S&P Software & Services Fund (NYSE:XSW), trading 8% below all-time highs touched in late July.
Despite the recent pullback, there are more than a few attractive names projecting accelerated earnings and revenue growth from the Software & Services industry group thanks to surging demand for their innovative products. Here are three to consider ahead of their quarterly reports this week:
1. Shopify Reports Oct. 29 Before Market Open
Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) stock has had a remarkable run in 2019, up 130% already this year. At one point, shares of the Canadian e-commerce software platform rose almost 200%, but a general sell-off in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) sector knocked some of the wind out of the highflier's sails.
Shares are about 23% below its all-time high of $409.61 notched on Aug. 27.
Consensus calls for Shopify's earnings per share (EPS) are $0.11 for the third quarter, up 175% from earnings of $0.04 per share in the year-ago period. Revenue is forecast to increase 49% from the same period a year earlier to $384.49 million. Indeed, we highlighted the name as one of the Stocks of the Week on Sunday's episode of the Bell Ringers podcast (listen here).
Investors will pay close attention to growth in Shopify's subscription solutions revenue, Shopify Plus, which surged 38% year-over-year (YoY) in Q2. The performance of the native payments processing technology, Shopify Payments, will also attract attention, as it rocketed 61% YoY in the second quarter.
Other developments in focus include details regarding the e-commerce company's new fulfillment network, which could help its largely small and midsize customers compete more effectively against Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), as well as Shopify's acquisition of privately-held 6 River Systems, a supplier of warehouse technology, for roughly $450 million announced last month.
2. Twilio Reports Oct. 30 After Market Close
Twilio (NYSE:TWLO), one of the leading names in the communication platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) sector, has seen its stock endure some turbulence lately. After shares enjoyed year-to-date (YTD) gains of as much as 70% through late July, they are now about 29% below the record high of $151.00 reached on Jun. 20.
Consensus estimates call for the cloud communications platform provider to post earnings of $0.01 per share, while revenue is forecast to grow a whopping 70% from the same quarter a year earlier to $287.83 million.
Wall Street will be keen to hear fresh updates regarding performance at Twilio’s core voice and messaging business as well as growth rates for its Flex product—a cloud-based contact center platform.
More importantly, market players will keep an eye on Twilio's update regarding their active customer accounts to see if it can maintain the rapid rate of expansion after the Q2 earnings report revealed the number of active customer accounts was 161,869, up 282% from the same quarter a year earlier.
3. Paycom Reports Oct. 29 After Market Close
Paycom (NYSE:PAYC) set the market on fire through the first nine months of the year before suddenly losing momentum in early September. Shares have jumped 71% in 2019, even after a recent pullback which pared YTD gains of as much as 102%. The stock is currently trading about 19% below the all-time peak of $259.71 reached on Aug. 29.
Benefiting from strong demand for its cloud-based human capital management SaaS, the Oklahoma-City based company is expected to publish third-quarter earnings with consensus calls for EPS of $0.67, which would indicate a YoY EPS climb of roughly 30%. Revenue is expected to soar about 30% from the same period a year earlier to $171.46 million.
Perhaps of greater interest, investors will keep an eye on Paycom's update regarding client additions to see whether the company can maintain its torrid pace of growth. Wall Street will also be curious to hear how efforts to gain a foothold among larger companies are paying off.